Welcome to my blog, Sweet Grass and Lattes!

There are two smells on this earth I could never be tired of - sweet grass in the summer sun and lattes.







Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Easy Cheese Danish...To Fruit or not to Fruit?

Cheese danish to entertain guests? Far easier than you'd think! 2 tubes pillsbury dough 1 brick cream cheese 1 cup sugar 2 tbsp butter, melted cinnamon sugar mix to sprinkle on top Preheat oven to 350deg. Mix the cream cheese and sugar until smooth grease 9x13 pan spread out one tube of dough spread cream cheese filling lay out other tube of dough on top and pull out to edges brush on melted butter and sprinkle on sugar and cinnamon mixture bake for 13-16 min. until browned and bottom layer is no longer doughy you can add any kind of fruit filling on top of the cream cheese, I usually use cherry, blueberry or raspberry. You could also use chocolate, or apple. It bakes the same amount of time, just be sure it cools before you serve it!

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Apology to my poor neglected blog

My poor blog, I've neglected you so.
I had bariatric surgery on the 16th, so between preparing and recovering, I've neglected you, as I have neglected my readers and cyber friends. I'm so sorry bloggy-poo, and I promise not to neglect you for that long again.

Cake Mix Isn't Just for Cakes!

Did you know that cake mix isn't just for cakes?

Store bought cake mix makes the absolute best, to die for, easiest, perfect every time COOKIES!

1 cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
drop in small spoonfulls
bake at 350 deg. for 10-12 minutes.

After you do it a few times, you'll learn to adjust the temperature, time or both to your own oven.

These can be any combination of awesome:

spice cake mix with dried apple pieces and chocolate chips.
lemon cake mix with poppy seeds and dried cranberries
vanilla with fresh vanilla bean and dried blueberries
dark chocolate or devil's food with coconut shavings
Cherry chip with dark chocolate shavings

These are just a few of my favorites, but the combinations are endless. Each batch does 2-3 dozen, depending on what you put in them and how big you make them. Without any additions, they ususally come out flat enough that you can decorate them, too! Have fun and enjoy!!

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Moist Cake Minus a Whole Lot of Guilt

I love cake (lots of us do) It's a guilty pleasure that I hate to pass up. This is a great recipe for those of us who love cake, but need to pare back some calories and fat - especially after a long winter!
All you need is:
12 ounces of diet soda
1 box of cake mix (any brand)
mix it up and cook per the instructions on the box!

If you'd like, alot of people choose to use some egg beaters (2 egg equivalent) or 1 or 2 egg whites. This makes the cake stick together better and keeps it more moist.

This is only 4 points on Weight Watchers, for anyone who needs to know.

Without the egg - it can be a great treat for people with egg allergies, just double check the particular brand of mix that you choose to be sure that there is no egg product in it (I haven't seen one that's not egg free)

Here are a few suggested combinations for you to try:
Chocolate cake mix - cream soda, black cherry, raspberry, cola, vanilla cream
Lemon cake mix - cirtus, Mountain Dew, orange, Sprite or 7-up
Orange cake mix - orange, citrus, strawberry
Red-Velvet mix - cherry, strawberry, raspberry
Spice cake mix - rootbeer, cream soda, vanilla cream, gingerale
White cake mix - anything
Strawberry cake mix - strawberry, orange, pepsi, cola
Funfetti cake mix - citrus, gingerale, any type of fruit flavor
Cherry Chip cake mix - cherry, vanilla, raspberry, cola

Try it for yourself, and see how you like it! Please feel free to suggest other combinations too!!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

My Must-Have Top 10

There are a few things that I can never live without and will absolutely swear by! Here's a list of my new must-have top 10 products.

Nivea Soft moisturizing cream - it's so rich it beats the winter dry skin, but breatheable enough that I can use it on my face. It works great for a day in, or at night, but don't use it on it's own because it does not contain any SPF.

Dove UltimateVisibly Smooth - it really does soften hair over time! It's also gentile enough that I can put it on right after shaving and it's completely non-irritating.

Zim's Maxi-Freeze - don't leave home with out it if you're prone to muscle aches or pains. I use the roll-on formula with Ilex, and it's definitely the best muscle rub you can get in a drug or department store. Compares to Bio-Freeze for a fraction of the price.

eos peppermint lip balm - I bought it for the fun packaging, I can't lie. I love love love that it's small and cute, but it works great on chapped winter lips and you can't beat the price or the taste.

Sharpie Liquid Pencil - I'm addicted to writing utensils. This one's hand-friendly and feels great writing, it's smooth, thick lines are identical to a number 2 pencil and erases just as easily.

Matte Nail Polish - any brand will work, Icing makes one that's less expensive than the O.P.I. version. It transforms your shiny polish into a completely matte finish that's fun for a quick change on your favorite color. It also looks fabulous over a french manicure/pedicure for a more natural look!

No-poo cleansing conditioners like Wen or Hair-One - I blogged a testimonial last week, and it's no joke. I really don't think I'll ever shampoo my hair again.

Fingerless gloves - great for the not-quite-so-cold weather. They're such a fun accessory, who could possibly live without them? Not me.

Matrix Biolage Smoothing Shine Milk with light hold - defines curls for a quick pick-me-up or helps detangle serious bed head. User be-ware: it's very, very slippery on your hair, as well as the floor, so less is more.

My iPhone. How did I live without this little piece of electronic heaven? I believe that everyone should have one, and now the 3gs is only $49 at ATT. (I'm sure that's with a monster contract)

Buy & try and let me know what you think!!